What did you do to your GMT today? [Part II]

[Mike534x]

Ughh, tried to replace front low control arms for cluncking noise when go over pothole, nope, the front control armmbolt, which is 21mm, fused solid into the frame. Even a 1150 ft lbs impact wrench cant remove it. Too bad!

But otherwise, changed transfer case fluid and front diff oil. Now no clanky sound when giving heavy throttle at stop light.

I found despite having a heavy duty impact, its not always enough to break stubborn bolts free. I started using CRC Knock'er Loose (sprayed everything a week ahead of time), and again while using a MAP torch and it made the job easy....aside from my least favorite part of removing/installing the struts.

 

[krunal88]

Put in some new front end links on the Trailblazer with the help of dad (of course). Couldn’t do it without him. No more front end clunks.

 

[krunal88]

Do you think this Toyota procedure would work on the Trailblazers(mostly the evaporator foaming)?

 

[Mooseman]

I can't see why not. Is yours smelly?

BTW, GMT360 didn't come stock with a cabin filter.

 

[krunal88]

I just happened to see the video on YouTube and thought it was an interesting product. I did end up cutting and adding the cabin air filters to my 2005. I just taped it up as I did not cut the door outline so well. AC does have a slight odor at times.

 

[krunal88]

Was thinking of trying to repair the door card with some glue again. What products have others used for this fix?

 

[Blckshdw]

Had a little misadventure last night. While on the way to meet up with some friends for dinner, and then go to Howl-O-Scream, I noticed the truck feeling a little off at times. After making a turn and getting on the gas, I thought "It almost feels like a miss..." (CEL comes on, and starts blinking at me)

No time to do anything about it, so I just light footed it to my destination, then to the theme park afterwards, and back home. Checked Torque to confirm, and cylinder 2 was the culprit.



I usually keep a spare coil pack, but hadn't replaced the one I had swapped out a couple years ago.
So off to the store first thing this morning. Hadn't realized how expensive these things had gotten, I was tempted to get the 6 pack, but the budget won't allow for that, especially after replacing the tires unexpectedly.

Swapped in the new coil right there in the parking lot, and now she's running nice and smooth again.

Was thinking of trying to repair the door card with some glue again. What products have others used for this fix?

One of mine is like this too, I'll be interested to know if whatever you decide to go with, works well.

 

[Mooseman]

I flushed the brake fluid in the TB. It was green and tester showed it had high moisture content. I used a 12V oil suction pump and it worked great. No pedal pumping. And with the wheels off, took a look at the brakes and other stuff. All looked good.

Then replaced the coolant in the Caprice. AFAIK, it was original from 2011 so yeah, it needed it even though it looked mint. The Caprice has a radiator drain plug that is easily accessible from under through an existing hole in the lower plastics. I didn't drain the block itself but I recovered about 8 litres of coolant just from the radiator drain. I used a vacuum refilling system I got from Amazon and I don't know how I ever did this before without it. Uses compressor air to create a vacuum in the empty system down to about 25hg, close the vacuum valve and then open the valve to the container of new coolant and it just sucks it in. No burping, just a little topping up the radiator after. I used a suction gun to get the coolant out of the overflow tank since it's buried down in the fender. Idled up to temp and took it for a ride, temps were perfect.

 

[azswiss]

Mr. Wizard, indeed.

 

[BrianF]

Nothing much for the old girl. I ordered some ball joints for it from Rockauto. Going to try the Delphi ones, which look to be Turkish made Deeza's. Perhaps better than the commie Chinese stuff? We shall see..... when I do those, she will get the fall maintenance as well. Grease all the points, rotate the tires and adjust the parking brake shoes.

It is currently at 11,000km on the oil so that will wait. I am likely going to drive it more this winter and park the beater Sunfire.

 

[Timber]

Bought a TB that wouldn’t up shift, so I R&R transmission fluid and filter, along with shift solenoids. Lets see what it does now.

 

[Zaab]

Bought a TB that wouldn’t up shift, so I R&R transmission fluid and filter, along with shift solenoids. Lets see what it does now.

Good luck!

 

[Zaab]

Catch up post...

So I bought an oil extractor for transmission fluid drain and refill. Pan drop is just too much hassle and risk my fragile exhaust. The oil extractor works great but can only get 3qts a time instead of 6 qts. but it is indeed much easier and way less messy.

 

[azswiss]

Changed the oil & replaced the air filter. Truck just turned 195K miles.

 

[Zaab]

Did an oil change... I think my LH6 is not doing so well.
Good news is had an oil change as rinse cycle after driving some miles and oil is more promising, no shining film and much less practicals. I hope it is an one time event or Valvoline R&P dislodged a large chunk of wear materials produced under previous owner. Now running 10w40 and plan to do another oil change at 100-150mi marks to confirm no more extensive wearing.

Meanwhile, getting quote from rebuild shop.

 

[Mooseman]

I sure hope you don't find any more forbidden glitter

 

[TJBaker57]

Started the TrailBlazer and let it warm up a while. Hasn't been started in quite some time, maybe months.

Discovered I have a poor connection at the engine coolant temperature sensor. This is what a bad connection there looks like when graphed in Car Scanner. It settled out when I manipulated the harness connector.

 

[azswiss]

Finally got around to changing out the (original) bump stops. Only slightly overdue . . .

Front:


Rear:

 

[Zaab]

Finally got around to changing out the (original) bump stops. Only slightly overdue . . .

Front:
View attachment 118003

Rear:
View attachment 118004

Great, I have bump stop on one side missing...
May I ask how to install them? Screw off the old and screw on the new?

 

[azswiss]

Removal & install is straightforward; pry the old ones out & push the new ones in. The stops sit in cups that have 4-6 retaining tabs in the base to hold them in place. You will need to raise the vehicle and decompress the suspension in order to allow more room.

2001 Suburban Front/Rear Bump Stop Install

 

[Mooseman]

Did oil changes on both. Put a Wix filter and ACDelco 0W20 in the Sierra for the winter and a Fram Ultra Synth filter with Kirkland 5W30 for the TB. Was cold though. 0c and a breeze going on so I got chilled. Now I don't have to worry about it for the winter.

 

[BrianF]

Made some progress on the Trailblazer today. Greased up the end links, u joints and tie rod ends.

The driver side e brake shoes took a large amount of adjustment and look to hold well now. The passenger side adjuster was seized but gained movement easy enough. There was a pile of brake dust in there so it appeared it somehow tightened up, perhaps the cable lever was partially stuck. It now works better but not perfect. Ill work the brake a bunch and recheck that side later.

Tightened up the transmission pan bolts. I had noticed there was some ATF sweating out and had not touched those bolts since I did that fluid exchange and pan drop in 2014.

Now, the big project of ball joints. There was some play but actually nothing crazy. Just did the passenger side tonight. Other than using an assortment of cups, a small and large press and a few sockets, it went ok. The lower one seemed stuck, hitting the metal around it on the a arm seemed futile. I gave the press a good smack and it gave out like my back when the weather changes. Nothing to report on install.

What went wrong? typical things for old Brian.... the one castor on my little wheelie mechanic chair gave out. Fine, I'll sit on the ground. Then my garbage 4 in 1 snap ring pliers proved totally useless on installing the snap rings. I will pick up a decent set tomorrow and button up that side up.

 

[BrianF]

Finished the ball joints today, which was rhe driver side. Both had play with the upper being beyond toast. Its grease was like plasticine and plenty of slop. The top came out with minimal pressure and a few taps of the hammer. The lower... was... well.... I bent the cup as those two little tabs were not enough to distribute the force. I got no movement with the press.

I resorted to the old hammer and marginally limp wrists. I supported the control arm and used an old impact socket on top. I used some heat and it eventually broke free. Installing the new joint was easy. I froze the ball joint and as I installed it, smacked the control arm. It went in quite well. While not a complex job, one has to have some tools and be resourceful.

 

[Zaab]

Finished the ball joints today, which was rhe driver side. Both had play with the upper being beyond toast. Its grease was like plasticine and plenty of slop. The top came out with minimal pressure and a few taps of the hammer. The lower... was... well.... I bent the cup as those two little tabs were not enough to distribute the force. I got no movement with the press.

I resorted to the old hammer and marginally limp wrists. I supported the control arm and used an old impact socket on top. I used some heat and it eventually broke free. Installing the new joint was easy. I froze the ball joint and as I installed it, smacked the control arm. It went in quite well. While not a complex job, one has to have some tools and be resourceful.

For the lower one, do you have to remove the brake to get enough space for ball joint and press?

 

[Zaab]

Rust proof. This is WIP!
Spray under the truck is harder than I think! Can hardly control the spray can. Lot's of run down and far from ideal. But it's better than not doing it and now is protected. I use rust oleum rust reformer + rust oleum stop rust paint. I also ordered two internal chassis spray from Eastwood. They are expensive! Hope after I treated frame inside out, I can buy my 9-7x a few extra years of life...

 

[BrianF]

@Zaab I removed the brake, in fact, I had the whole knuckle removed. Gives the best access and its pretty much removed anyway.

The passenger side i went as far as removing the wheel bearing. The driver side I left it on but had the caliper and rotor off. I found it easier to remove the ABS sensor from the bearing to free the thing.

 

[Zaab]

@Zaab I removed the brake, in fact, I had the whole knuckle removed. Gives the best access and its pretty much removed anyway.

The passenger side i went as far as removing the wheel bearing. The driver side I left it on but had the caliper and rotor off. I found it easier to remove the ABS sensor from the bearing to free the thing.

Ahhhh I wish I knew it earlier. When I first got the car I need new brakes all around. Then two months ago, my wheel bears are shot so I replaced them. Should carry on and replace both lower ball joints at that time. Now I have to disassemble everything again for ball joint replacement.

 

[BrianF]

Put about 40km on the Trailblazer today. While not horrible, it has some memory steer. Very noticeable on the snowy gravel roads but minor on the highway. Way better than I was expecting.

Now, the little shimmy it had over broken pavement is gone. Much happier.

I did a quick voltage test with the multimeter the other day, sitting for days in the shop. 11.98 volts. Ok, its maybe 13 to 14 years old. Will get one this upcoming week.

 

[BrianF]

Alright, so the ball joints are breaking in reality nice. The handling has improved to the point to where its barely noticeable on loose, snowy gravel roads but tight and linear on the highway. Quite happy.

I compare it to this 1999 F250 out at the farm. Got new ball joints, two years on and its still scary at speed. The memory steer is atrocious! Oh well, not my garbage.

As well, came home last night to find a slow leak on the Trailblazer. Patched today and they found a screw in it. Im quite happy that those new tires survived a year before catching a flat.

 

[BrianF]

Decided to do a ATF fluid exchange tonight. 284,000km on the Trailblazer with 11.5 years and 120k on the fluid. The thing has been flawless but decided to get it done as preventative. Decided against a filter change as one was done on the first change. The fluid wasn't not very dark or burnt smelling and no pressure related codes so things are working well.

Decided on Maxlife as I happened to be at Walmart on a Sunday night and it now saves me a trip in tomorrow. I had been looking at Duradrive LV and Irving made Motomaster LV ATF. It is -20c right now and the vehicle is warmed up, perfect time to roll it in the shop.

Super simple as I made damn sure I did not lose that E clip on the output cooler line. Hooked up some hose and pumped it into a pan. Got the usual splash mess when it cavitated. Dumped in 5L and pumped it all out. By the end it was fresh fluid. Ran through the gears and set the level. Took less than an hour with no yelling or swearing. Made damn sure the line was firmly seated back in the rad, popped in the clip and double checked the line was seated.

The old girl keeps running so I am still happy with it, over 19 years so far.

 

[Zaab]

Decided to do a ATF fluid exchange tonight. 284,000km on the Trailblazer with 11.5 years and 120k on the fluid. The thing has been flawless but decided to get it done as preventative. Decided against a filter change as one was done on the first change. The fluid wasn't not very dark or burnt smelling and no pressure related codes so things are working well.

Decided on Maxlife as I happened to be at Walmart on a Sunday night and it now saves me a trip in tomorrow. I had been looking at Duradrive LV and Irving made Motomaster LV ATF. It is -20c right now and the vehicle is warmed up, perfect time to roll it in the shop.

Super simple as I made damn sure I did not lose that E clip on the output cooler line. Hooked up some hose and pumped it into a pan. Got the usual splash mess when it cavitated. Dumped in 5L and pumped it all out. By the end it was fresh fluid. Ran through the gears and set the level. Took less than an hour with no yelling or swearing. Made damn sure the line was firmly seated back in the rad, popped in the clip and double checked the line was seated.

The old girl keeps running so I am still happy with it, over 19 years so far.

Good to hear that! I didn't have flush machine so just extract & fill until fluid coming out red and transparent. Then add lube guard red for more protection, but that's optional and just to make myself feel better.

 

[BrianF]

No need for any machine. I just used the output cooler line that attaches to the lower rad in the passenger side. I didn't have a second hand so I ran a long length of fuel line from the output to a drain pan by the driver side. I just started the vehicle and shut it off when the cavitation occurred. Used just under 10L of ATF.

Today I double checked the level, put over 30km on it and rechecked. Needed maybe half a litre more and it looked good.

I also picked up some more 0w30 for an impending oil change. I thought I was maybe 11,000km on this index but in reality, I'm over 14. Will use the last of the Mobil 0w30 from the last change and 5L of Co-op Elite. Not sale price but 10.66$ a litre for a full group 4 synthetic. As well, made right here in Saskatchewan.

 

[Ilikemy3s]

Discovered a brake fluid level issue while driving last week. Just checked all fluid levels the week before. Driving it, the brake warning light and chime comes one and the DIC says to check braking system, but the brakes still felt fine .. finished carefully driving home the last 2 miles but ready to yank on the E-Brake. checked the brake fluid the next morning and it was really low. Topped it off and warning went away. Too cold, and time warranted me getting it to my local trusted shop. Turned out the hard brake line from the ABS module to the Front passenger wheel had a leak. Could not be fixed and shop could not get the part .. had to bend new line form module to caliper. And replace the rubber line as well. Just to be safe, had them do the drivers side as well. Figured it was due to 20 yrs old and 293K miles. But all go and safe now

 

[Mooseman]

Was it rusted through? It must have been a really small pinhole to just slowly leak like that and not wind up with the pedal on the floor. Reading it, I was going to bet it was a leaky caliper.

 

[BrianF]

Had the Trailblazer on a trip to the city today. 280km on the highway at 120km/h and about 20km city driving. -12c and managed a hair over 17mpg.

During the trip I remembered to test the e brake. Well, it proceeded to make an oblong scraping noise for the remainder of the trip. At home I dug in and found the one e brake shoe was dragging slightly. I tore both sides down, cleaned up the adjuster and added some antiseize.

Now, the sound is gone and everything is moving freely but the passenger side is still weak. It will need a new shoe but thats another days problem.

 

[Mooseman]

Replaced the battery in the TB. Went to start it in -15c and it was slow but still started. Tried to charge it overnight. I tested it and my tester said it needed to be replaced. Only had about 500 out 800 CCA. The old toaster load tester also showed it as weak.

It was a Costco battery and was still within the 100 month prorated warranty. I thought it was just a couple of years old. Sticker on it said it was manufactured 07/2020! I probably replaced in winter so maybe installed it in early 2021. How time flies. Brought it back to Costco and they knocked off $60 on the purchase of the new one. It originally cost $120, now it's $165. They didn't even test it themselves, just taking my word that it was bad.

So I can't complain except it was -10c while I was working on it outside. Got it installed but I'll charge it up before using it.

Edit: Searched this thread and I found this post. This battery was originally from the 9-7x. Costco didn't know that. They just saw I bought this battery.

Post in thread 'What did you do to your GMT today? [Part II]'

Dec 30, 2021

Took the TB out for an errand and the battery was just slow to crank. Coming back, put my little battery tester and said to replace with only 38% capacity. Swapped it out with the new Kirkland battery I kept from the Saab. It was kept on a maintainer for over a year and was still in excellent condition. Since the TB doesn't get driven as much, I have to keep a maintainer on it all the time just to keep it topped up.

Then took the TB for its second alignment after I replaced the inner tie-rods again last week. She drives straight again however, odd thing is that he had to readjust the...

• Mooseman

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[krunal88]

Pulled a pair of replacement trailblazer front seats from the junkyard yesterday. The donor car got onto the yard the day before, so it wasn’t picked clean yet. The wiring doesn’t quite match up to my 2005, so the airbag light is on, but I can live with that. I’ll just drive a little slower haha! Hope everyone had a great holiday season!

 

[Mooseman]

On Friday, I replaced the grill on the TB as talked about in the last post. The old one had a broken wing. I found the original and it was still in good condition except it was chrome and I had already taken all the clips off so I ordered some from Amazon. More on that later.

View attachment 117605

Taped it up and since the bow tie was still in good condition, decided to keep it as-is. Put three coats of PlastiDip.

Here's from the previous post where the left and right bolts broke and I replaced them with plastic retainers. Seems to hold fine.

View attachment 117601

After drying, went to use the clips from Amazon and they don't fit. The hole where the grill's standoffs go into aren't wide enough. I wound up grinding then standoffs to make them fit the clips. I was afraid that doing this would weaken them and would break off the next time I would pull the grill but they are so weak that some pop off by themselves. I git them to stay in but I may have to spread them out more to make them hold better. Negative review of those clips already left.

View attachment 117602View attachment 117603View attachment 117604

Well, those clips were garbage. They weren't able to hold the grill in place, falling constantly. While trying to get the grill back in, broke a wing on the bar again .

Went to Kenny-U-Pull and found one off an '02 that the grill itself was broken but the crossbar was good. They charged me just $20 instead of the full $47 for a whole grill. I also grabbed all the original clips to replace those Amazon clips.

Just got it Plasti-Dipped and waiting to dry. Will install it after work in the garage. A couple of the plastic standoffs broke off the grill. I'll see if it holds well enough and if not, I'll look at using some screws to hold the clips.